Aerial view
The first gestures of shaping the public space between the two pedestrian circulation started from the idea of obtaining a garden in which the passer-by could stop, a place of respite considered a desire of the community delimited from the rest of the universe.
The elongated configuration of Victory Square was the main reason why this public space developed as a pedestrian boulevard, even after the removal of car traffic in the 1980s.
The need for an area with tall vegetation comes as a natural reaction to the need for the utilitarian dimension of the intervention, deduced from the analysis of the site; from this point of view, the square can be described as follows: an enclosed space on all four fronts, in which the pedestrian moves in a continuous search for shade throughout the hot season of the year, an island of heat that unfortunately becomes non-functional during these months.
Starting from the dialogue between architectural heritage and public space, we proposed a relatively reserved approach, which relies on discreet gestures and simple interventions; these put pedestrians and public transport in the foreground and try to discourage car traffic. More specifically, we wanted to create a public transport core with bus stops opposite and paving at pavement level, as well as defining the roadway only with bollards and trees, precisely to limit the speed of vehicles and encourage pedestrian mobility. At the same time, the responsible choice of road materials, the extension of the cycle lane and the substantial widening of pavements to restore the streetscape to its proper character.
Public space is an environment of interaction, of the exchange of ideas, which impacts the quality of the urban environment, which in turn shapes the community and connects the neighbourhood. By generating an inclusive pedestrian space, the dynamics of the square shift from a space dominated by traffic and cars to a place of people, centred on pedestrian needs and adapted to soft mobility.
Conceptual diagrams and Site plan
Victoriei square overview
team: Ionut Filip, Paunita Boanca, Timotei Hotea, Eduard Galesanu, Georgiana Pasca, David Meszaros, Hannah Ilies, Gabriela Mojolic, Catalina Rohian, Laurentiu Palincas, Elisabeth Theiss
